During the 1930's, there was a tea garden in Darjeeling owned by Mr. Bagdon, who lived in London but visited the tea garden regularly. He had two daughters. The younger daughter was named Margaret. When she saw the tea garden, she fell in love with it, hoping one day she would have an opportunity to return. Sadly, she fell ill on the ship during the return trip to England, and died soon after. In her memory, her father changed the garden's name to Margaret's Hope. It is believed that her spirit visits the estate bungalow from the western side, coming through the main guest room and leaving from the study through the verandah to the tennis courts.

The bushes at Margaret's Hope are almost entirely the Chinese Jat (genus), accounting for the green leafed tippy appearance of the manufactured leaf and the superb fragrance. Because the tea is grown at such high altitudes and in relatively cool weather, the bushes do not grow quickly, and, as such, the production is limited. The best time of the year for quality is during ‘second-flush' (end of May - end of June). During this time, Darjeelings are incomparable to any other tea in the world. The fragrance and taste is a complex bouquet that reaches right out of the cup. Some would describe the taste as nutty; others find it reminds them of black currants; but most often it is described as similar to the taste and fragrance of muscat grapes.

I was very excited to find Margaret's Hope darjeeling on the site, as it is one of my favorite single plantation darjeelings. It is very smooth with low astringency for a darjeeling tea. It's best drank straight with no milk. The price is excellent, too. I had been paying almost quadruple the price from a specialty tea company for this particular tea. Just a word of caution to those unfamiliar with darjeelings. They do not taste like the teabag 'orange pekoe tea' that most Americans are used to. The taste is more fresh, green, and delicate, with a wonderfully flowery fragrance.

By The Singerfrom PAon Feb 26, 2009

I would buy this tea again!!

Love to have friends over for afternoon tea.This is a perfect tea for the ladies of my red hat group.